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Our fulltime RV story


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So, right off, I don't know if this is the right place, or if there is a right place on this forum, to just talk about lessons learned, marvelous sights, and stressful events. But here I go, anyway. Moderators can make their own decisions about this.

 

Our short travel history: We moved into a 2005 Hitchhiker trailer in August, 2014. 18 months ago. Never having spent a day in an RV before. We've toured in a circle, beginning in Colorado, to northern California, back to the desert southwest, returning to Colorado and then this last fall to Florida, where we camped by the ocean and lagoons, various state parks, and a few private and Escapee parks.

 

Our short mechanical history: I studied out brands before purchasing, talked on these forums to figure what kind of rig to get, studied how to inspect RVs, etc. Our HH started out needing many small repairs (I really do think many RV parts are designed to last about 10 years, and we got the privilege, and fun (it often was) of a seemingly unending list of smallish repairs. Vents, slide motor, caulking, trying to tow once using the electric pigtail.

 

I have really appreciated forum members advice on all of these topics as well as advice on designing and installing a solar system, and setting the rig up for comfortable booning. We've had a blast, up until recently, when we discovered fairly extensive water damage to the flooring above one side's tires - I believe due to our evacuation from an island, through a flooded roadway after tropical storm, Patricia, this last fall.

 

So here we sit, still mostly happy, but debating future choices. Keeping this 11 y.o. unit (which we strangely like) will have us looking at reflooring, slide seals in the next year or 2, and water heater and refrigerator replacement as they fail.

 

What have we learned in the last 18 months?

 

1. How to really inspect an RV.

2. How to do many different repairs - mostly fun.

3. How to design and build a solar system - and how I would do it next time

4. We love Simple living. If we changed RV's we would go Down in size - yes, down from 31.5 feet.

5. We learned to Sail, lived near the ocean, saw the wonders of many state and national parks, and lots of different birds.

6. We love BLM, LTVA's, state parks - beauty and space.

7. We do Not love living in RV park communities. Too close. We are happy as the introverts we are, book reading, movie watching, nature exploring. We are not really looking for community that much at this point in our lives.

8. Florida is beautiful, and I will never want to live east of the Mississippi - the west is far sunnier than Sunny Florida and much less cramped and humid - not to mention less expensive.

9. There are a lot of good living choices available.

10. As a rule, Escapees tend to be pretty helpful people.

 

Thanks again for all of the help, Forum members.

Charlie and Jean and Dolly the cat

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So generous of you to share your personal experiences = the good, the bad and the ugly following your first year and half in the FT lifestyle. Also of immense value is your last comment regarding compromise or trade offs on expensive areas versus others being more affordable to suit ones budget as need be.

 

I for one thank you for taking the time sharing this.

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We share many of your experiences and interests. Especially not staying in RV parks! One thing for sure, it is really helpful to be handy with tools and have the ability to repair things yourself. That applies to both a sticks and bricks as well as RV's.

Al & Sharon
2006 Winnebago Journey 36G 
2020 Chevy Colorado Toad
San Antonio, TX

http://downtheroadaroundthebend.blogspot.com/

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Good stuff...glad you shared your story and I bet that more than a few folks will benefit from it. Just a thought...have you tried the lower coast of Texas for a cheaper "beach fix"? Aransas Pass, Rockport, Corpus Christi area has some beautiful beaches and parks and the area is very affordable. We spent last year down there and loved it...very laid back atmosphere, lots of things to do and places to explore without being expensive tourist traps...we are spending our first first year in our "new to us" RV and finding the same problems and minor fixes to deal with. We have replaced most of the leaky faucets, roof, vents and it has been generally fun to do and things we could do together. Guess it comes with the territory!!! Best of luck in the future!!




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Since the subject is your beginning full-time experience, I'd think this is the best place but there aren't any hard rules about subjects so the best choice is the one where you get responses. It seems to be a good one.

So here we sit, still mostly happy, but debating future choices. Keeping this 11 y.o. unit (which we strangely like) will have us looking at reflooring, slide seals in the next year or 2, and water heater and refrigerator replacement as they fail.

I think that what you have experienced is probably fairly typical for the age of RV which you chose and for that reason I'd consider it to be good information to be shared with those who are trying to figure out the question of new, used, or how used? There are many of us here who can advise new folks about the life span of RVs and RV appliances, but your experience is hard evidence to support what others share. While I and many others, have years of RV experience, we only make the transition to fulltime once so it is good to compare the experiences of those who buy RVs of the different ages, makes, models, and choices.

 

To address the question here, I'd suggest that you now use your experiences thus far to balance the experience against the budget limits of the coming years and against your comfort levels. All of these choices are a balancing act of money, comfort, peace of mind, and a host of other factors and each of us have our own criteria. I find that my personal choices today are also quite different from what they were back in 2000. :P

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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One last admission, in my novice, left brained way, I absorbed lots of detail on RV choice and purchase, and went with an inexpensive used unit, ignoring that it had rust on the chasis and a history of being used on the Gulf, somewhere. We learned to sail this fall, and were told our club only acquired fresh water boats, never salt water. I ignored an obvious flaw in our, happily low cost, "well-buit" RV. (We have subjected it to deserts, monsoons, spraying road water 18" deep, Louisiana road floods, and Tropical Storm Patricia with 40-60 mph wind for about 2+ days. So I won't fault the company, though I will my particular salesperson. If I look closely, though, it is my own novice status in Rving that resulted in some understandable, but possibly avoidable, mistakes. What can I say. Guilty of humanity, again. ;-)

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To address the question here, I'd suggest that you now use your experiences thus far to balance the experience against the budget limits of the coming years and against your comfort levels. All of these choices are a balancing act of money, comfort, peace of mind, and a host of other factors and each of us have our own criteria. I find that my personal choices today are also quite different from what they were back in 2000. :P

 

Thank you, Kirk, also for your many helpful posts from the past. We do feel we now have the experience to make informed choices for the future. For now that means going quick and cheap on repairs - mostly labor, and then seeing how our exposed particle board flooring throughout the house withstands future rainstorms, etc. The aesthetics are secondary for now, but we are usually pretty creative about working with S&B homes, and can do the same here, cheaply for now, and making each decision as it comes. We have other ways in mind of seeing the country as well. We shall see.

 

 

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Just a thought...have you tried the lower coast of Texas for a cheaper "beach fix"? Aransas Pass, Rockport, Corpus Christi area has some beautiful beaches and parks and the area is very affordable. We spent last year down there and loved it...very laid back atmosphere, lots of things to do and places to explore without being expensive tourist traps...we are spending our first first year in our "new to us" RV and finding the same problems and minor fixes to deal with. We have replaced most of the leaky faucets, roof, vents and it has been generally fun to do and things we could do together. Guess it comes with the territory!!! Best of luck in the future!!

Thanks for your kind thoughts. We have thought about the Texas gulf coast, but next winter will be Yuma, where we will consider further investments in our unit, or possibly getting another.

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You stated above that you have "exposed particle board". Really? Exposed to the elements? That should not be.....I'd be weatherproofing that stuff immediately, if that is the case.

Jack & Danielle Mayer #60376 Lifetime Member
Living on the road since 2000

PLEASE no PM's. Email me. jackdanmayer AT gmail
2016 DRV Houston 44' 5er (we still have it)
2022 New Horizons 43' 5er
2016 Itasca 27N 28' motorhome 
2019 Volvo 860, D13 455/1850, 236" wb, I-Shift, battery-based APU
No truck at the moment - we use one of our demo units
2016 smart Passion, piggyback on the truck
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
See our website for info on New Horizons 5th wheels, HDTs as tow vehicles, communications on the road, and use of solar power
www.jackdanmayer.com
Principal in RVH Lifestyles. RVH-Lifestyles.com

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You stated above that you have "exposed particle board". Really? Exposed to the elements? That should not be.....I'd be weatherproofing that stuff immediately, if that is the case.

Exposed on the interior where carpet was taken up. We'll be resealing everything underneath and living with the particle board till we see the source of any remaining leaks

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I'd just replace any damaged particle board with plywood (marine if you can find it). That assumes you can find it in the same thickness. It is not difficult to do - just some labor. Then I'd likely put down a laminate or vinyl plank flooring over it instead of carpet. JMO.

Jack & Danielle Mayer #60376 Lifetime Member
Living on the road since 2000

PLEASE no PM's. Email me. jackdanmayer AT gmail
2016 DRV Houston 44' 5er (we still have it)
2022 New Horizons 43' 5er
2016 Itasca 27N 28' motorhome 
2019 Volvo 860, D13 455/1850, 236" wb, I-Shift, battery-based APU
No truck at the moment - we use one of our demo units
2016 smart Passion, piggyback on the truck
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
See our website for info on New Horizons 5th wheels, HDTs as tow vehicles, communications on the road, and use of solar power
www.jackdanmayer.com
Principal in RVH Lifestyles. RVH-Lifestyles.com

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I'd just replace any damaged particle board with plywood (marine if you can find it). That assumes you can find it in the same thickness. It is not difficult to do - just some labor. Then I'd likely put down a laminate or vinyl plank flooring over it instead of carpet. JMO.

 

Why laminate or vinyl plank instead of carpet? For aesthetics?

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Hard floors are easier to keep clean ... carpet is a dust and dirt magnet.

 

Supplement the hard floors with throw and area rugs that can be taken outside the RV to clean.

X2

 

Linda Sand

Blog: http://sandcastle.sandsys.org/

Former Rigs: Liesure Travel van, Winnebago View 24H, Winnebago Journey 34Y, Sportsmobile Sprinter conversion van

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Why laminate or vinyl plank instead of carpet? For aesthetics?

We were planning on ripping up the carpet when we bought it. When we started to do that is when we discovered the water damage. We'll definitely go some form of hard floor. We have always hated w to w carpet. Specially in an RV.

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Carpet is TERRIBLE in RVs. There is simply nothing good to be said about it, IMO. Fortunately, manufacturers of mid-upper RV lines are moving away from it.

Jack & Danielle Mayer #60376 Lifetime Member
Living on the road since 2000

PLEASE no PM's. Email me. jackdanmayer AT gmail
2016 DRV Houston 44' 5er (we still have it)
2022 New Horizons 43' 5er
2016 Itasca 27N 28' motorhome 
2019 Volvo 860, D13 455/1850, 236" wb, I-Shift, battery-based APU
No truck at the moment - we use one of our demo units
2016 smart Passion, piggyback on the truck
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
See our website for info on New Horizons 5th wheels, HDTs as tow vehicles, communications on the road, and use of solar power
www.jackdanmayer.com
Principal in RVH Lifestyles. RVH-Lifestyles.com

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A trick that flooring installers use for wood subfloor that has been affected by water or urine, is to paint it all with Kilz Original. It will seal the surface so that further exposure wont affect it as much AND it seals any smells esp from urine, from infiltrating the living space. It is good to treat the subfloor with an enzime to treat any urine before sealing it, that way it wont offgas through the underside.

Marcel

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We just had this http://www.houzz.com/projects/943377/paradigm-luxury-vinyl-flooring installed in our 13 year old fiver to replace the carpet. The waterproof aspect won DH over and the installer said they dropped a sledge hammer on it from 1,2,& 3 feet with no damage but 4 foot did it in. Not scientific but the 10 year light commercial warranty is a benefit. The only thing to watch out for is rocks stuck in your shoes could scratch it. We will pick up our rig on Wednesday when our update list is completed.

 

PS A little off topic but along the lines of updating an older unit: Thank you Jack for the info on Verona cook tops. We didn't have the room for a residential sized unit so had the apartment sized Verona VEGCT424FSS installed. It looks great and quality much better than previous RV brand. Will try it out next week.

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The Verona cooktops are great. We have had two of them in rigs. This time we put in a residential 30" GE cooktop. But int he 24" size it is hard to beat the Verona.

Jack & Danielle Mayer #60376 Lifetime Member
Living on the road since 2000

PLEASE no PM's. Email me. jackdanmayer AT gmail
2016 DRV Houston 44' 5er (we still have it)
2022 New Horizons 43' 5er
2016 Itasca 27N 28' motorhome 
2019 Volvo 860, D13 455/1850, 236" wb, I-Shift, battery-based APU
No truck at the moment - we use one of our demo units
2016 smart Passion, piggyback on the truck
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
See our website for info on New Horizons 5th wheels, HDTs as tow vehicles, communications on the road, and use of solar power
www.jackdanmayer.com
Principal in RVH Lifestyles. RVH-Lifestyles.com

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